The Hinchliffe Coat of Arms as illustrated is Officially Documented
in Burke's General Armoury. The Original Description of the Arms
(Shield) is as Follows:
"Or, A wivern between Three Fleurs-de-lis vert"

When translated the blazon also describes the original colours
of the Hinchliffe Arms as "Gold; A Green Wivern Between Three
Green Fleurs-de-lis"

The following document was purchase by my Grandfather Hubert Hinchliffe (b
28th January 1899 in Dunsley, Holmfirth) when the author
sent out copies to Hinchliffe's in the Local area or possibly because he answered
a newspaper add. The document cost about £2 at the time. I have since
been in touch with the Author and although he holds the copyright he isn't too
concerned that I have put it on the Internet. Apparently he has had people trying
to sell him photocopies of his on Papers!

George Redmonds (Pictured) has been
researching Surnames for many years. In 1970 he was award a Ph.D. for his work
on Yorkshire Surnames. He works as a freelance historian and have published
several books and booklets. He is also a well known lecturer at International
courses

I have recently bought a couple of books off George and on one phone call he
mentioned that he had been working with someone who has been checking DNA. Apparently
names with a one location source tend to have a lot of similarities in there
DNA. And checks on Hinchliffe's have confirmed we are from one location.

Books I know George has authored are as follows:-

Yorkshire Surname Series Part One Bradford and District - £2.70 plus
PostageYorkshire Surname Series Part Two Huddersfield and District - £2.70
plus Postage

These is are very useful guides to the origins of a lot of Surnames of Yorkshire
Origin Each Surname gets about 1/5th of a A5 page and contains early examples
of each name. EG 1545 William Hynchclyff (Holmfirth) (That's not the earliest
but if you are interested you will have to buy the Huddersfield book. The George
has slightly updated the details in the following report too.

Surnames and Genealogy: A New Approach - £14.00 plus Postage

This is a book about how surnames in general have changed in spelling due to
Linguistic Development and clerk error.

Holmfirth - £3.90
Heirs of Woodsome - £2.25

I don't know anything about these books at present. It is possible info might
appear sometime here

George Suspects he has details of about 50 Hinchliffe's from Court Records
he has researched. This would cost £25 to obtain. I am still thinking
of these and I won't be revealing them if I do get them as this is how George
earns his money.

Origin and Meaning

Even at the present day the main home of this prolific family
name is the southern half of the West Riding and many scores of
families still live in and around those Holme Valley hamlets where
the surname was first recorded 650 years ago. Although the surname
is now so well known this was not always the case and all the
evidence points to a single family origin in the West Riding.
Even as late as 1545 the only three families recorded in the subsidy
roll for the Clothing Area lived in or near Holmfirth. This is
all the more remarkable if we consider that included in this area
were Bradford, Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Dewsbury,
not to mention a score of minor towns. In all these places variants
of Hinchliffe can now be found, often in good numbers, but the
surname's expansion there is relatively recent.

This should not be taken to mean that the Holme Valley was the
only place where Hinchliffe could be found in 1545. The area in
which the family had its origin and early history lies close to
the watershed of the River Dearne and at a very early date migration
took place over the watershed and as far south as Sheffield. Consequently
much of the name's ramification over the centuries has been in
the villages of Staincross Wapentake and in towns such as Penistone
and Barnsley. Sheffield has, throughout most of its history, been
an important centre of its distribution.

Hinchliffe is geographical in origin and two minor place-names
should be considered when we try to locate the source. There is,
for example, a Hingcliff Scar in Bradfield in the South Yorkshire
Pennines. Unfortunately there are very few references to this
place and none at all before 1440. It might conceivably be the
source of the family name but a much stronger case can be made
out for the locality now known as Hinchliffe Mill. References
which point to this place-name 'certainly pre-date the first surname
evidence, e.g.

1307 John, son of Hugh, gives 2 shillings for 2 1/4 acres at Welesbothem,
and 3 roods at Heyncheclyf.

As this was recorded in the court rolls for the village of Holme
it would certainly seem to refer to what is now called Hinchliffe
Mill. In one sense, however, indecision about which place-name
gave rise to the surname is not very important, for both have
the same meaning. The words 'henge-clif' in Old English signified
a steep slope or cliff, a description which in fact fits both
the localities we have discussed.

View of Hinchliffe Mill today

Variant Forms

Some place-names and family names vary very little throughout
the centuries but this is not so with Hinchliffe. In Kirkburton
Parish Registers, which cover the area where the family ramified,
there are nearly 20 versions of the name ranging from Hinslife
to Hynschonclyf. The group of 5 consonants resulting from Hinch
+ cliffe always tended to be simplified in colloquial speech,
and spellings in the Registers such as Hynchyffe and Hyncleff
bear testimony to this. A change of vowel produced Henchlif and
an unusual metathesis in the final syllable gave rise to the unlikely
Hynchylff - perhaps influenced by the nearby hamlet of Hunshelf.
This does not exhaust the list of Holme Valley variants. The local
pronunciation of Hinchliffe Mill was Hinchley and there is abundant
evidence locally to show that the surname was treated in the same
way. In Emley Parish Register, for example, we find

1663-1667 John and Dorothy Hinchcliffe or Hinchley

Whilst the tendency to omit the initial 'H' produced numerous
variants, e.g.

1679 Matthew Insliffe (York)

1769 Richard Inchliffe (Huddersfield).

Most of these varying forms were attempts by clerks to render
in writing what they heard, what they thought they heard or what
they thought the "correct" form was. In the Protestation
Returns for 1641 the name in the Holme Valley was always Hinchliffe;
a generation later in the Hearth Tax Hinscliffe prevailed, although
there was one Hinchliffe and one Hincliffe. Over in the next valley
there were Hinchcliffes at Longwood and Quarmby.

This tendency to corruption, linguistic corruption I should add,
endured until comparatively recent times, but in the last 100
years there have been stabilising influences and the acceptance
locally of standard spellings. The prevailing spelling in the
Holme Valley is now, therefore, Hinchliffe with small numbers
of Hinchcliffes and Hinchliffs. However, this family had already
established branches outside the West Riding as early as the l7th
century and inevitably this helped to preserve some of the many
variants we have mentioned. In this account I shall use the form
Hinchliffe for convenience unless referring to specific documentary
evidence; it should however be remembered that all the following
surviving variants share the same origin:

Hinchcliffe, Hinchcliff, Hinchecliffe, Inchcliffe,

Hinchliffe, Hinchliff,

Hinchsliffe, Hinchsliff, Hinsliffe, Hinsliff,

Hincliffe, Hincklieff,

Hinchley, Inchley,

Henchcliffe, Henchcliff, Henchley.

It is quite likely that an even more exhaustive search of surname
lists, both in this country and overseas, will widen the range
of variants and also produce hybrids where Hinchliffe has developed
alongside similar names such as Hinckley.

Early History

The first reference to the place-name, as we have seen, occurred
in 1307 when a certain John, son of Hugh rented land there. The
first reference to the surname, which occurs some 17 years later
in the court rolls, may also identify who this tenant was:

1324 Thomas, son of John de Hengeclif sues John son of Hugh de
Alstanley (Austonley) for trespass.

In the next few years the name of this man appears in the manor
rolls for Holme on a number of occasions, e.g.

1331 Thomas de Hiengecliff stood surety for Thomas Undirlangley
who was accused of chasing Robert Chobard's cattle with his dogs.

The only other member of the family mentioned at this period is
a woman, who may well have been the widow of the John referred
to. There is, however, nothing to show the exact relationship.

1324-27 Agnes de Hyengeclif / Hengeklif / Hingecliff or Hyngecliff
fined for various minor offences, i.e. for allowing her beasts
to escape (3 pence) and for helping herself to wood from the Earl's
forest (21 pence).

Inevitably many family names of this type disappeared in the Middle
Ages and one of the main causes was undoubtedly the disastrous
plague of 1349-50, known as the Black Death. The Hinchliffes not
only survived this calamity but as the Poll Tax of 1379 shows,
had actually ramified in the meantime.

1379 Holmfirth

John de Hyncheclyff and wife. 4 pence tax.

William de Hynchecliff and wife. 4 pence tax.

Richard de Hynchecliff and wife. 4 pence tax.

Cumberworth

Adam de Hyncheclyf, a single man. 4 pence tax.

The standard rate of tax was 4 pence and only tradesmen or gentry
paid more. It seems unlikely, therefore, that the Hinchliffes
of this period had any special status in the enclosed world of
the Holme Valley. What is of interest is the fact that several
widespread hamlets were listed under the general heading of Holmfirth
and there is no way of knowing exactly where the three Hinchliffes
lived. The bridge at Holme actually divided the two great parishes
of Almondbury and Kirkburton, although the tendency for at least
300 years was to move south and east rather than north and west.

Ramification and Distribution 1379-1720

The Holme Valley

In the period 1379-1545 the population did not increase greatly
and it is not very surprising, therefore, that the surname Hinchliffe
was no more numerous in the 16th century subsidy rolls than in
the great Poll Tax of 1379. The period between these great nationally
levied taxes was one of political confusion and civil strife,
and ironically the documentary evidence for yeoman families is
often much less detailed than in previous centuries. Enough survives,
however, to show us that the Hinchliffes continued to live, generation
after generation, in the same area, e.g.

1437 William Hynchclyffe of Scholes quitclaimed certain lands
to Adam de Stokkes (probably living in Thurstonland).

l490 Thomas Hynchclyff, a churchwarden for Kirkburton Parish,
signed a fascinating document which records a dispute between
local families respecting their rights to occupation of certain
places in the church. The subsidy roll of 1524, taxing only a
percentage of the population, provides us with the first hint
of where the family lived:

Both these men were again listed under 'Holmfirth' but we know
from a will proved in 1526 that John Hynchclif lived at Cartworth
and from a second in 1541 that another John Hyncheclif lived at
Holme. In the second subsidy roll four years later there were
still only three members of the family in the Clothing Area, all
in Holmfirth.

1545 Thomas Hynsclyff, Holmfirth )

William Hynchclyff, Holmfirth ) All paid 2 pence tax

Robert Hynchclyff, Holmfirth )

An interesting record of this period which survives, provides
further illustration of how the surname varied. In the Star Chamber
proceedings for 1536 John Ynchlyf or Hynclyf of Wooldale was accused
of having '7 acres overmeasure and testimony was offered by Thomas
Hynchclyf. A century later, extracts from the West Riding Sessions
Rolls provide some insight into the different occupations in which
Hinchliffes were engaged:

l636 James Waterhouse of Holmfirth, a clothier, stole one lamb,
value 2s.6d, from James Hinchcliffe.

The area of the Holme Valley in which the Hinchliffes lived was
remote from the two mother churches of Kirkburton and Almondbury
and a move was made in 1650 by the inhabitants of Holmfirth to
have their chapel given the status of a church. They hoped thereby
to escape the fines which were levied if they did not walk or
ride the six or seven miles on a Sunday. The petition signed by
the Holmfirth residents contained the names of six Hinchliffes
- including Joseph Hinchcliffe of the Cross, Wooldale. and this
hints at the expansion of numbers which had taken place in the
100 years since the subsidy roll of 1545. Actually there are two
documents, the Protestation Returns of 1641 and the Hearth Tax
Rolls of the l660s and 1670s, which allow more accurate estimates
of the ramification to be made. The details of the first of these
provide staggering evidence of the family's growth. In the whole
of the Huddersfield area, 52 male Hinchliffes were recorded. The
major concentrations were at

Austonley (11), Cartworth (9), Holme (7), Hepworth (5) and Wooldale
(3). All these men lived within a mile or two of their ancestors
of the 1320s and many other families had not moved far afield,
e.g. Fulstone (3), Meltham (3), Upperthong (2). Isolated Hinchliffes
lived in Kirkburton, Thurstonland, Lepton, Longwood and Marsden.

There is actually a surviving rental of Wakefield manor for the
year 1709 which identifies in detail the land holdings of many
of these Holme Valley Hinchliffes. It would be tedious to list
them all but as an example we can cite James Hincliffe (sic) who
paid 1 shilling for 'Good Greave' and 7 shillings and sixpence
for land at 'Arunden'. He, or a namesake also held tenancies at
'Maukin House, Dunsley, Austonley, Doxon Shaw and Knowle'. Actually
at this time James was not a commonly used name in the Hinchliffe
family and the main ones were John, Thomas, Abraham, Richard and
Henry. Others in frequent use were Joseph, Edmond, Francis, Ralph
and George.

(There is a note by my
Grandfather at this point referring to Maukin House in the above.
"1900 My Grandfather lived at 'Maukin House' colloquially
'Maukinhus'" This would be referring to Albert Hinchliffe
who Drowned in Manchester Ship Canal)

The West Riding

As the population increased dramatically numerous branches of
the family settled in the villages and towns to the south of the
Holme Valley. The process had started in the fifteenth century
as the following show:

1430 William Hynchcliff of Woolley was bequeathed 20s in the will
of Oliver Woderow.

1440 John Hyncheclyf of Sheffield (Manor Court Rolls).

1472 Grant by John Wombwell esq. of lands in Wath, Melton and
Brampton which Thomas Hynchcliffe of South Kirby had granted him.

All these families appear to have had descendants for the surname
continued there for many generations. There are wills registered
for the Hinchliffes of South Kirby in 1474, 1546 and 1556 and
in both Woolley and Sheffield a variety of documentary evidence
throws light on successive generations of the family.

Woolley, Penistone and Barnsley

1467-8 Quit claim by Thomas Gaunte of Hoyland Swayne to Richard
Wentworth of Bretton Hall. Witness William Hyncheclyffe of Woolley.

1489 Grant by Robert Rilston to Thomas Popeley of Woolley of a
yearly rent of 3s,4d. Witnesses William Hynchclyff, Matthew Wentworth.

1511 Grant by Thomas Wentworth of West Bretton esq. of lands and
messuages in the tenure of William Hynchclyff.

1546 At the break up of Monk Bretton Priory the library, which
was a very fine one, was sold to the monks. One of the main purchasers
was Richard Hynchclyff alias Woolley! Perhaps he was the Richard
who in 1559 was described as a priest and bought lands in Worsborough.

1591-2 Francis Hynchecliffe of Woolley sold lands to George Brownell.

1615 Will of Francis Hinchcliffe of Woolley registered at York.

1618 Thomas Hincheliffe of Wentworth (Wil1 registered)

There is abundant evidence here of a very close link between the
Hinchliffes of Woolley and the land-owning family of Wentworth
- a link which was taken a step further when Thomas Hinchliffe
married Frances Wentworth of Woolley in 1716. This Thomas actually
lived in London (l677-l741) and was a citizen and member of the
Salters' Company. He was said to be of 'Billcliffe' in Yorkshire
and this throws some light on another interesting reference:

1524 Grant by James, Woderowe and Richard Whetelay to Thomas Wentworth,
gentleman and William Hynsclyff of the manor of Bulcyff (sic)

Even before the end of the 17th century the surname ramified prodigiously
in this area to the south of the Holme valley and one or two further
extracts from documentary sources seem worth quoting, e.g.

l639 John Milnes of Penistone, a labourer was committed to 'the
house of correction (sic)' for divers misdeeds, being in the custody
of the constable John Hinchliffe. Unfortunately 'the said John
Hinchliffe so negligently kept him that he permitted him to escape.'

l640 James Hinchcliffe of Barnsley, a labourer, was fined 40 shillings
'for exercising there the art or mystery of the butchers trade
without having been brought up therein as apprentice.'

In the year l898 there was printed for private circulation a number
of notes on the Hinchliffe family. They were edited by O. Hinchliffe
and published by Hinchliffe & Co. of Manchester. For the most
part the references are to isolated members of the family who
either lived outside Yorkshire or who achieved distinction in
some way, e.g. Dr. John Hinchliffe, Bishop of Peterborough; Messrs
Hinchliffe & Co. of Whitelands, Chelsea, Wall Paper Manufacturers;
John Elley Hinchliffe the gifted sculptor and his son John James
an engraver, etc.

There is also however some interesting information on the surname
in the Penistone area. There was, for example, a set of trustees
appointed by the King in 1677 to regulate the management of the
endowed lands of Penistone Grammar School. At that time an Arthur
Hinchliffe was one of the trustees and in 1898 John Hinchliffe
of Bullhouse Hall, Thurlstone was still carrying on the traditional
office.

In a reference to a great lawsuit over lands in Penistone carried
out in 1595 between the Wortleys and other landowners a William
Hinchliffe was mentioned, so the history of the name there clearly
goes back nearly 400 years at least. Other paragraphs deal with
the Hinchliffe Charity, based on a gift of lands at Wombwell and
the various residences of the family at Pawhill, Cross Royd Head,
Billcliffe and Hartcliffe, all within 3 miles of Penistone on
the edge of the moor and mentioned in the Diary of Adam Eyre of
Hazlehead, a Captain in the Parliamentary Army, written in 1645-7.

Sheffield

The first Hinchliffes to move to Sheffield must have done so in
the first half of the 15th century, for as we have seen the name
was recorded there in the court rolls in 1440. Other typical references
to this family in the court rolls are:

1483/4 Henry Hinchclyff surrenders a messuage and land called
Birley Hollins to the use of Nicholas Mounteney, esq.

1564 It was presented that the wife of Robert Hynchecliff has
brewed ale and sold it contrary to the assize.

1593 Thomas Skynner surrendered lands and tenements in Stannington
to the use of Henry Hinchcliff, his heirs and assigns for ever.

1625 William Hinchclyffe, juror at the manor court.

Throughout the latter part of this period the Hinchliffes were
engaged in a number of land deals - often having their name linked
with that of the Littlewoods, another Holme Valley family. In
1580, for example, the Henry referred to above bought lands in
Stannington, Ughill and Oakes and five years later in Dungworth
and Woodhouse. In Sheffield, perhaps more than elsewhere, the
variety of occupations followed by members of the family was very
wide. Whereas in the Holme Valley farming or the making of cloth
were usual, in Stannington and Ecclesfield we find: 1590 Thomas
Hinchliff, cooper; 1617 Henry Hinchcliffe, waller; William Hinchliffe,
blacksmith.

In all probability economic circumstances played a large part
in the dispersal of the surname throughout the West Riding and
if the migration into South Yorkshire seems predictable because
of the very geography of the area, there were moves made in the
period up to 1720 which are more clearly the result of the pull
of the large town. Consequently we find Hinchliffes settled in
places such as Leeds, York, Wakefield and Doncaster from very
early dates. The Rolls of the Freemen of York, for instance, contain
the following names:

1485 William Hynseclif, chaplain.

1552 Henry Henseclyf.

l679 Matthew Insliffe, translator.

1718 Edward Henchcliffe, goaler (sic).

Robert Hyncliffe was a tailor in Wakefield in l599 and in Doncaster
there were Hinchliffes from 1558 at least. The name is also found
at the same period in villages such as Fishlake, Tickhill, Grimethorpe
and Badsworth. The Leeds Hinchliffes - again linked with the Littlewoods,
acquired land in Kirkstall, Adel and Leeds from William Inglebye
in 1596 and Thomas, who died c.1610 was described as of 'Kirkstall,
Bargrainge, a yeoman' and there is an interesting note on one
of his descendants in the Royalist Composition Papers:

1649 Abraham Hinchliffe of Burley in Wharfedale "saith that
he was never sequestered nor questioned for any delinquency nor
engaged at all in the latter war........but taking notice of the
favour intended by the late votes of Parliament to such as shall
discover themselves, he is seised of land in Burley; lease of
a farm called Kirkstall Grange, of 2 water mills and 2 fulling
mills and lands in Kirkstall and Bramley worth yearly £74,
of a lease for 7 years of Abbey lands etc, possessed of cattle
and household stuff worth £14 etc."

Clearly the Hinchliffes of Kirkstall had become a wealthy family
in Lower Wharfedale and it is not surprising to learn that in
1664 Eleanor Hinchliffe of Kirkstall married into the even more
famous family of Fairfax.

Although the early history of this surname suggests a single family
origin it had become very numerous by 1650 and widely dispersed.
I find Hinchliffes in Nottinghamshire from 1550 and in London
from c.1675 and doubtless other branches had settled elsewhere.
Despite this migration, however, the Holme Valley has not ceased
to be the place where the concentration of Hinchliffes is most
marked and in conclusion I should like to give some idea of this
from recent records.

Trade Directory 1881 (Holmfirth area)

Although such a Directory covers a proportion of the population
only, there were over 20 Hinchliffes listed, the majority in the
town of Holmfirth itself (9) but others in traditional locations:
Austonley (2), Cartworth (2), Upperthong (5), Wooldale (3), Fulstone
(2) and Hepworth (2). Many of the names common in 1641 were still
being used, e.g. John (3), Thomas (2), Henry (2), Joseph (3) and
George (2) What is also noticeable is the 19th century habit of
using the wife's or mother's maiden name as a christian name.
Johnson Hinchliffe (grocer), Parker Hinchliffe (sizing boiler).
Not surprisingly farming and the woollen trade occupied many of
the family at this time as they had for hundreds of years, but
the range of occupations is very wide. In addition to those mentioned
there was a chandler, two innkeepers, a postmaster, a wheelwright,
a shoemaker, a joiner and even an 'aerated water manufacturer'.

Electoral Register 1967

In the area covered by this Register for Holmfirth, no fewer than
92 householders called Hinchliffe are listed. There is also one
Hinchliff and furthermore, Hinchliffe is found as a christian
name. This statistical evidence merely confirms what any resident
of the Holme Valley takes for granted, or what any visitor might
deduce if he notices the names on shops and mills. What is, perhaps,
new in the Register is the evidence of a complete break with the
traditional christian naming pattern. Although there is an occasional
George, Joseph and Thomas and as many as four Johns and two James,
the most popular names are Brian (7), Harry (5) and Harold (5).
Fred and Albert are just as numerous as John (4) and the next
group consists of Frank, Norman, Ronald and Robert (all 3).